Haas doesn't rule out rookies anymore: "Are generally well prepared"

The Haas team had no previous interest in inexperienced drivers. According to team boss Guenther Steiner this has changed.

Just like many other teams Haas has to look to the 2021 season for the line-up of drivers. The contracts of Romain Grosjean and Kevin Magnussen will both expire at the end of the season and it remains to be seen whether they will be extended by the team.

Possibly one of the drivers can be replaced by a rookie. "We can handle a rookie in our team. We've had rookies in training sessions in our second year and we didn't have any problems. If they have already done Formula 3 and 2, they are generally very well prepared", says team boss Steiner to Motorsport-Total.com.

Growing as a team

In previous seasons, the Haas team was not interested in offering a rookie a contract. This has now changed. "If a driver's doing well, why not? We've seen how good Charles Leclerc was in his first year. Of course, you always have to look at what others do and how prepared they are. In our first year we certainly weren't ready for a rookie, because we had to grow as a team. But now we can handle anything."

One of the talents that is a possible candidate for a seat at Haas is Robert Schwartzman, the current Formula 3 champion. The Russian has also won two races in Formula 2. "I think he is doing a very good job at the moment and of course he won the championship last year. I'm just not recruiting at the moment", the team boss concludes.